Since the premiere of the children's television program Sesame Street on November 10, 1969, it has included what writer Malcolm Gladwell has called "the essence of Sesame Street—the artful blend of fluffy monsters and earnest adults".[1] The original cast, chosen by producer Jon Stone, consisted of four human actors—Matt Robinson, who played Gordon; Loretta Long, who played Gordon's wife, Susan; Will Lee, who played Mr. Hooper; and Bob McGrath, who played Bob. Unlike most children's television programs at the time, the producers of Sesame Street decided against using a single host and cast a group of ethnically diverse actors,[2] with, as Sesame Street researcher Gerald S. Lesser put it, "a variety of distinctive and reliable personalities".[3]

Stone did not audition actors until spring 1969, a few weeks before five shows, designed to test the show's appeal to children and to examine their comprehension of the material, were due to be filmed. Stone videotaped the auditions, and researcher Ed Palmer took them out into the field to test children's reactions. The actors who received the "most enthusiastic thumbs up" were cast.[4] For example, when the children saw Long's audition, they stood up and sang along with her rendition of "I'm a Little Teapot".[4][5] As Stone said, casting was the only aspect of the show that was "just completely haphazard".[6] Most of the cast and crew found jobs on Sesame Street through personal relationships with Stone and the other producers.[6]

The results of the test shows, which were never intended for broadcast and shown to preschoolers in 60 homes throughout Philadelphia and in day care centers in New York City in July 1969,[6] were "generally very positive".[7] The researchers found that children learned from the shows, that the show's appeal was high, and that children's attention was sustained over the full hour.[6] However, they found that, although children's attention was high during the Muppet segments, their interest wavered when there were only humans on screen. The producers had followed the advice of child psychologists who were concerned that children would be confused, and had recommended that human actors and Muppets not be shown together. As a result of this decision, the appeal of the test episodes was lower than they would have liked,[7][8] so the show's producers knew they needed to make significant changes, including defying the recommendations of their advisers and show the human and Muppet characters together. Lesser called this decision "a turning point in the history of Sesame Street". Muppet creator Jim Henson and his coworkers created Muppets for Sesame Street that could interact with the human actors, and many segments were re-shot.[1]

The proprietor of Hooper's Store following Mr. Handford's departure. According to Sesame Street.org, his "warmth and open character has made Hooper's Store the heart of the Sesame Street community".[10]

Worked for Mr. Hooper at Hooper's Store and lived in an apartment above the store. He later became proprietor of Hooper's Store following Mr. Hooper's death. According to Sesame Street Unpaved, "He was that funny, upbeat, cool-looking guy" who dated Maria.[26]

Named for photographer-filmmaker Gordon Parks.[39] Gordon is a science teacher who owns the brownstone "123 Sesame Street" building with his wife Susan. He is the first character introduced in the show's premiere. Davis described him as "a dutiful husband and steady provider, a well-liked and respected figure in the neighborhood".[40]

The original proprietor of Hooper's Store. Lee described Mr. Hooper as "the gruff grocer with the warm heart".[41]Sesame Street dealt with Lee's 1982 death in it in what author Michael Davis called "a landmark broadcast"[42] that aired on Thanksgiving Day, 1983.[18]

Jamal(1993–1995)

Jou Jou Papailler

Introduced when Sesame Street expanded "Around-the-Corner". Jamal was a park ranger who was married to Angela and had a baby named Kayla.[12]

Jane Tuesday (2004)

Kyla Taub

Developed to be a strong female role model, Jane is a seven-year old private investigator in a series of short films.[43]

Jason(1975)

Jason Kingsley

Child with Down syndrome who made a few appearances on the show. Jason was the son of writer Emily Kingsley, who pushed for more inclusion of people with disabilities on the show.[44]

Part of Sesame Street since she was a teenager, Maria co-owns the Fix-It Shop with her husband Luis (whom she married later on the show). She also dated David for a while and is Gabi's mother. After she and Luis married, they moved into a second-floor apartment at 123 Sesame Street.[55][56]

Sesame Street Unpaved calls Susan a "maternal figure".[64] At first a homemaker, she evolved into a public health nurse. She is the wife of Gordon, adoptive mother of Miles, and surrogate mother to Big Bird and the neighborhood kids.[65]

Tarah(1993)

Tarah Lynne Schaeffer

The first regularly appearing character on Sesame Street who used a wheelchair; served as a positive role model for children with disabilities.[66][67]